


Let Us Go Then, You And I

by Treetart



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Clueless Boys, M/M, Naboo - Freeform, Only One Bed, Theed, Undercover Mission, Various space pirates, cody suffers from dumb of ass disease, im dropping hints but I won’t tag it yet, single speeder, soft vibes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 07:48:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26848438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Treetart/pseuds/Treetart
Summary: General Obi-Wan Kenobi asks Commander Cody to accompany him on a mission for a friend.
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Comments: 71
Kudos: 223





	1. Let Us Go

**Author's Note:**

> What’s up everyone I’m a sap and here are the softest Cody vibes I could muster at 3 am.

Marshal Commander Cody spent most of his afternoons working on several datapads spread out on any available surface, usually a desk and a few chairs. Any space for filmsi was a rare commodity and always a topic of annoyance when the Commander did end up with a lot of filmsiwork on a particular day. He would eat dinner, grab an extra caf from the mess, and walk back to his room with whatever relevant information he needed under his arm. Occasionally, General Kenobi would ask him to join him in his own office so they could go over the paperwork together. The two men worked in a comfortable silence, every now and then one would ask the other a question on a specific detail they may not have been privy to or could not remember clearly. Then, they would go back to their comfortable silence. The General with his cup of tea growing cold on his desk, and the Commander with his caf that the General insisted on refilling every so often. Cody liked this routine a lot. He had the time to work through all of his filmsiwork in a quiet space, and just the man he needed to sign half of the forms was right next to him. 

So why was it that he was in his own office tonight instead?

General Skywalker and some of the 501st, including Captain Rex, had arrived a few weeks prior and his _lovely_ vod’ika had decided for the past three nights he needed to complete his own filmsiwork with him. Cody was not exactly sure why, other than to bring up the occasional question about a form or document he needed to complete. It wasn’t that he did not enjoy seeing his vod. But, Cody knew he had been completing these forms long before he made his residence on Cody’s extra chair near his desk. He didn’t have a full office, like his Jedi did, but a desk and a few extra chairs thrown into the other side of his room was good enough. At the very least, it kept him tidy. Having an open door policy with most of the crew required that his quarters at least looked respectable. He was the Marshal Commander after all. 

Cody took in a deep breath, and slowly let it out. It didn’t bother him , exactly. He was doing the same work he would have been doing by himself. But, for some reason, there was an added awareness of being watched the entire time he did his work that he didn’t feel when he was with Kenobi. He closed his eyes for a moment to focus on the sound of the engines below, a constant thrum that he often tuned out. _Focus on what’s around you. Steady yourself on the things unchanging._ He could practically hear Kenobi speaking in his ear. He remembered the many occasions he had heard the Jedi talk down a shiny so new to their unit they went into shock in their first battle. It was a comforting exercise, and Cody found himself listening to that advice every so often when he felt his stress reaching its limit. 

He didn’t notice the glance Rex sent his way, but Rex knew he was finally stepping on his brother's nerves. They joked about Cody being a recluse, but they were often right. Cody liked the quiet, he liked being in control of his environment. No wonder he had been sent so far up the CC training;, the man was a perfectionist. Rex had been wondering what his brother did to relax, short of being dragged out for drinks by his friends. Rex could tell he was interrupting whatever normal routine Cody had, something clearly being adjusted due to Rex’s presence, and Cody was being too nice to tell Rex off about it. Cody had been twirling his stylist in his hand for several moments, distracted enough by his brother’s presence that he could not focus on the datapad in front of him.   
  


“You can tell me to kriff off, you know that right?”

Cody blinked. It took him a moment to realize Rex had said anything. 

“Why would I do that?” Cody lifted his datapad slightly with a frown. 

“I’m clearly getting on your nerves, vod.” 

Cody sent him a vaguely annoyed look. 

“You’re not interrupting anything I wouldn’t normally be doing.”

“O-kay.” Rex held out the word, shooting him a look. Cody just rolled his eyes and went back to his work. There wasn’t much left to do, if he was being honest. He had always been quick to finish his work, taking most of his notes in the field when he could and polishing it up later. He enjoyed working on his notes in the field, when they were on a decent enough planet at least. He remembered one time they had been sent to get intel on some Separatists base that happened to be located in a wooded area of whatever planet they had dedicated needed to be occupied by a large droids presence. Cody had been able to sit under a tree, breathing unfiltered air, occasionally lifting his binoculars up to observe the base below. Now that he thought of it, his Jedi had been with him as well. He could remember Kenobi smiling at him resting under the tree, and making some joke about his camping choices. 

“ _Bit too close of a spot to have a real campsite for the night, but I’ll join you if you don’t mind.” The General sat down smoothly across from him, easily camouflaged by his dark robes in the brush._

_“Of course, sir. But I’ve already claimed that rock as a pillow, you’ll have to find your own.”_

He had savored the laugh that he had gotten for the easy joke. Cody didn’t make them often, but he enjoyed making his General laugh. Cody frowned at the odd feeling in his stomach. Had he forgotten to eat dinner again? 

Before he could really think about that, there was a chime at his door indicating someone needed his attention. He shared a glance at Rex to see if he was waiting for someone, but he shrugged and made no move to get up. Cody walked over to the door and opened it, revealing his very own General Kenobi on the other side. He couldn’t help the warm smile that came to his face. 

“General.”

“Commander.” The Jedi said, a small twinkle of mischief in his eyes. He was clearly here on business, he still wore his robes from the field, having not had time to go back to his rooms to change before being pulled into several meetings with the Jedi Council. A small amount of dirt was smeared down his cheek, Cody wondered how long it had been there and resisted the urge to wipe it off of the man himself. 

“I hope I’m not interrupting?” Kenobi glanced at the Captain still seated in his extra chair. Cody remembered how often he had private discussions with his troopers when they needed them, and quickly waved a dismissive hand. 

“No, sir. We’ve just been finishing reports.”

“Ah, I see I’ve been replaced.” He winked at Rex, and turned his attention back to Cody. “I actually came by to invite you on an undercover mission. It’ll take a few weeks, so I understand if you don’t want to be stuck with me for that long.”

“Of course, sir. When do we leave?”

“Two hours. Pack your things. I’ll come back to pick you up when it’s time to go.” With half salute to Rex, Obi-Wan left. It was several moments before Cody realized he was still standing in the doorway watching the man leave, making him shut the door a bit too quickly. 

“An undercover mission?” Rex had his arms folded over his chest, one eyebrow raised. 

“Yes.” Cody turned to grab his bag, most of it packed with essentials as a bug out back in case of emergency. 

“Just the two of you?”

“Apparently.” Cody decidedly ignored his brother’s line of questioning, not entirely sure of the implication he was getting at. 

“You didn’t even ask where.”

“Does it matter? It’s a mission, I’m sure he will debrief me on the way.” Cody grabbed several pairs of clothing, just in case they weren’t going somewhere with an easily accessible refresher. 

“Oh, I’m sure he will.” 

Cody paused at the tone and cocked an eyebrow at his vod’ika. “What do you mean?”

“Seriously, Cody? Have you seen the way you two talk to each other?” Rex set his datapad down on Cody’s desk. 

“We’re friends.” 

Rex sighed at him. Opting to go back through his own flimsiwork than deal with his brother’s osik. 

Cody finished packing quickly, and immediately picked up his personal datapad to remove himself from the rotating schedule and arrange some replacements. He almost always set up a back up person for each shift, so it was a simple matter of switching the status from On Call to Active in the system. He glanced at the datapads and filmsi on his desk. In truth, he really only had a few things left to do. Most of them just needed to be forwarded to the right people, and a few of them still needed to be sent to the General for his approval. He sent those first, hoping to catch Kenobi before he’d set down his datapad and “forget” it for the next few weeks. A reply was almost instant. 

_Stop sending me more work or you can’t come._

Cody smiled, and just for that sent three more documents Kenobi’s way. The two hours he had to prepare went by faster than he expected, but he still had some time left. His General must have finished packing early as well, since there was already a **ping** at his door. He walked over and opened it slightly. 

“Ready to go?” Obi-Wan smiled, he had clearly made time to hit the refresher and change his clothes. Cody half wished he had thought of that as well. “Or do you still have more flimsiwork for me?”

Before Cody could answer, Rex had walked up behind him. 

“His reports are finished, sir. He’s been ready to go for _ages_. You should have seen how fast he packed when you mentioned this one-on-one excursion—“

Obi-Wan watched as Cody tilted slightly but missed whatever move made Rex heave out the grunt of pain he could hear from the hall, but he guessed that it was a very solid boot meeting the Captain’s unarmored stomach. 

“I’m good,” Cody flashed him a smile. “Meet you in the loading bay.” 


	2. Evening Spread Out Against The Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone’s favorite space pirate hires the boys for a mission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hondo is one of my favorites

“Seems a bit late to be asking this now, but where are we headed, General?” Cody asked as he settled into the copilot’s seat of their small transport. Obi-Wan flashed him a smile as he engaged the startup sequences for the vessel, already typing in their destination for the autopilot. 

“Florrum.”

“Florrum,” Cody considered the name for a moment, before huffing a laugh. “What has Ohnaka done now?”

“For once, he may be asking us for help without any ulterior motives. The person in question is already wanted by the Republic, and apparently has vexed Hondo enough for him to reach out to us. Or rather  _ his close personal friend. _ ” The Jedi gestured to himself with one hand. Cody chuckled, he remembered the antics of the space pirate rather well. More specifically the  _ trouble  _ that the Weequay seemed to attract. 

“Someone by the name of,” Obi-Wan glanced down at the datapad in front of him, “Chovo. There doesn’t appear to be a family name. Hondo didn’t mention what the man did specifically to incite his annoyance, but a lead is a lead.” 

Cody nodded to himself. The Republic had had a warrant out for Chovo’s arrest for a good while now. As frustrating as the Weequay space pirate was, at least this would be one less person on Fox’s list to deal with. Cody smiled to himself. Being arrested by  _ The Negotiator  _ would be far nicer than any arrest by Fox and his boys. They were lucky to have just a short trip ahead of them, their cruiser having brought them most of the way. Cody sneaked a glance at the Jedi, who busied himself with reading through the warrant for Chovo’s arrest, letting the navicomputer do most of the work. He vaguely remembered the details of a story from the last time his General had been to Florrum, something about a set up in the guise of capturing the Seperatist Leader Count Dooku. If he remembered correctly, both Obi-Wan and Skywalker had been drugged and captured to add to Ohnaka’s ransom to the Republic. Cody could not help the smile it brought to his face, his Jedi was far too trusting, and he could imagine how being in the same cell as Skywalker and Dooku went. 

“I can tell you’re laughing at me.” Obi-Wan said mildly. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it, sir.” Cody smirked at the other man and busied himself with their navigation. They were about to entire their descent pattern into the planet's atmosphere. He had read up on it before, but seeing it with his own eyes showed that there were far more dust storms than he would have expected. There wasn’t a single lake that didn’t look like it was not completely sulfuric. A bad place to be stranded with unfriendly residents. Hondo’s base seemed to be in a large grouping of caverns that had all bled into one another, surrounded by large expanses of sand. 

“Sir, why do you think this mission will take a few weeks? If Chovo is still on the planet with Ohnaka’s men and us looking for him, do you really think it will take that long?” Cody idly scanned through a detailed description of the terrain for the desert planet.

“Cody, I’ve learned that nothing involving Hondo ever goes according to plan.” Obi-Wan grabbed the controls in front of him and handled their descent. 

-

Even with the sulfurous air on the desert planet being breathable, Cody kept his bucket on. Ohnaka’s supposedly secret base was located in one of the larger caves. It had been carved out of the planet’s surface by the acidic geysers and then built upon by the pirates. It wasn’t a bad spot, very hidden from above if it weren’t for the pirates insisting on parking all of their ships directly in front of it. Cody did not expect for there to already be a large welcoming party, it looked like most of the pirates gang had come out to meet them. Most of them appeared to be grunts, but there were two just to the side of Ohnaka, which Cody assumed to be his right hand men. Hondo was front and center in some sort of a throne sipping a glass of what Cody very much doubted to be just melon juice. 

“Ah! My friend! Kenobi, how have you been?” Hondo’s free hand moved rapidly as he spoke. 

“Hondo.” Obi-Wan nodded to the pirate with a smile, before he could say more Hondo had already clambered down from his seat to meet them.

“And who is this? You didn’t tell me you were bringing a friend, Kenobi! Any friend of Kenobi is a friend of mine.” Hondo was already rapidly shaking Cody’s hand before Cody even had a say in the matter, causing him to glance at his General in confusion. Obi-Wan has a look on his face that just said  _ Yea, I know. _

“This is Marshal Commander Cody, my second in command.” Obi-Wan’s hand squeezed firmly on his shoulder as he was introduced, and Cody tried not to read too much into it.

“Oh ho! I see you brought the big guns for me, I thank you.” Hondo winked at the Jedi for some reason that Cody could not understand other than that the pirate was prone to dramatic antics. “I hate to get right to business, but I’m sure you’ll understand, my friends.”

Ohnaka led them inside to what Cody assumed was his office, but it was filled with so many items from conquests that it could have been a trophy room. Hondo did not seem to mind the clutter, if anything he fawned over it. He kept pointing out various items as if seeing them for the first time since he acquired it. He would begin a story about how he managed to get it, before cutting himself off and remembering that they were here on business. He placed himself in a large, wingback chair before motioning for them to sit in the chairs in front of what Cody assumed to be his work desk. 

The sheer amount of small knick knacks made Cody wonder how the man managed to get any work done, although what paperwork did a space pirate actually sit down to do? Obi-Wan must have felt Cody’s annoyance at the lack of tidiness and sent him a mental nudge, poking fun at his preferences for neatness. Cody mentally swatted at the jab, not entirely sure if that was something he could do when he could not use the Force himself. He did catch a slightly raised eyebrow from his companion so perhaps the message was received. 

“So,” Hondo sighed, steepling his hands in front of him. “This Chovo… this traitor has stolen what is rightfully mine and I want it back.”

Obi-Wan held a hand up. “Hondo, we cannot make any promises on getting what was stolen from you back, especially if it’s illegal. But I can assure you we will do what we can to apprehend Chovo.”

“Ah, of course! I wouldn’t ask you to go against your code,” Hondo winked lavishly at Obi-Wan, indicating that he would in fact like him to go against his code. “Perhaps you can just let me know if you happen to find what was stolen from me when you do catch him?”

“I’ll see what we can do. What were his last whereabouts?” 

“I think he is still on my planet, his ship is still here.” Hondo gestured out of a window to a ship that could easily be seen from the pirates office. “I have a tracker attached to it just in case he makes off with it. What I would do if I were him,” Hondo leaned back on his chair, his hand on his chin as if he were about to tell them a magnificent story. “I would head east, there are plenty of caverns there to hide in, especially if he is working with someone. He must be! There is no way he would have escaped me for so long if he didn’t have help.” 

Obi-Wan nodded thoughtfully. “I see. I think it’s best if we split up our searches, Cody and I can head in one direction, and your men can head in another. That way we are more likely to find where Chovo has been hiding, and perhaps dig up who is working with him.” Hondo clapped his hands excitedly.

“Wonderful! I knew you would have a great idea, flyboy!” Cody was glad for his helmet to hide his reaction to the.. what he guessed Hondo considered a compliment. He would not have picked his general in a line up as a hot shot. They all stood, the Weequay clearly excited to begin. 

“Let us begin! I can give you a speeder bike or two of mine to use.” 

-

Flying through the surrounding desert was a relaxing experience. They had headed east, on Hondo’s suggestion, but they had a good distance to go before they reached the caverns that he had mentioned. The ease of gliding through a relatively clear path on their speeders allowed Cody to focus on his surroundings rather than making sure he didn’t crash. They wouldn’t be able to track much in the ever changing landscape of sand dunes. They had landed rather early in the planet's day cycle, allowing them plenty of time to search before nightfall. 

Cody hazard a glance at his Jedi companion, and reminded himself to pack an extra poncho with a hood with him the next time they were on an undercover mission, seriously doubting if the Jedi brought more than just his robes. The wind blew Kenobi’s hair around in a fantastic manner, and Cody was glad that Hondo had an extra pair of goggles for him to ride the speederbike with, or he would have forced the man to wear his own bucket whether the Jedi liked it or not. 

Obi-Wan turned to look at Cody, and pointed toward a darker blob on the horizon that was rapidly becoming larger. They were finally approaching their destination. Cody signaled a quick  _ Affirmative _ in reply and they both adjusted their course for the cavern ahead of them, Cody hot on Obi-Wan’s tail. 

Obi-Wan slowed as they reached their destination, pulling along the side of a small opening to a cave. He smiled at Cody as he ran a hand through his hair, brushing particles of sand out of it. They had been riding long enough in the sun for the man to have a light sunburn on the uncovered parts of his face. Maybe Cody would make him wear his helmet after all. 

They both dismounted from their vehicles, Cody taking extra care to engage the lock on his so it wouldn’t be stolen. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at him, but did not comment. 

They made their way towards the first in a long line of cavern entrances, mostly searching for clues of heavy use coming and going. They did not have the time to search the interiors of each underground cave system. It would take hours, and their suspects would hear them coming. None of the first dozen or so caverns appeared to show any signs of use, not recently anyway. 

Cody was looking for evidence of repeated entry and exit, of someone moving their stolen supplies in and out of the same hideout they now relied on. It appeared his Jedi was looking for a similar clue. Obi-Wan paused for a moment and held a hand out to stop Cody as well; Cody did not hear anything but didn’t question as Obi-Wan motioned for him to follow. They quietly backed off and moved into one of the caverns they had already passed. 

_ What? Danger?  _ Cody asked in short hand signals. 

_ Maybe. Careful. Go around.  _ Obi-Wan replied. Then he tapped four times on his right arm. The cavern four up on the right side from them was the suspicious one. Cody nodded affirmation. 

They carefully made their way to the top of a hill overlooking the cavern in question, which would give them a small bit of cover as long as no one had the mind to look up. Two of Hondo’s pirates were sitting in plain sight, clearly on guard duty for whatever items had been stolen from the other pirates. It looked like Chovo had a few men in his pocket. Cody snapped a couple of holos showing the men, with the supply crates behind them. They were far more interested in their game of sabaac than keeping an eye out on their treasure. 

“What do you think?” Obi-Wan whispered next to him. 

“What do you mean?” Cody asked honestly, mostly wondering what aspect of the mission Obi-Wan was referring to, still keeping a close eye on the two men in the cave below. 

“All this? I know you have your suspicions, or you wouldn’t have locked your speeder when we got here. You know as well as I that Chovo has long since left the planet. So, what are you thinking?”

Cody smiled under his helmet. It was nice, having a General who was intelligent, and better still someone who genuinely wanted his opinion during a mission. 

“I think these two are just keeping an eye on things, but they’re being di’kute about it. Chovo is already off planet, and if they didn’t keep coming back to their hideout, Hondo wouldn’t be suspicious of his fellow pirates.”

“He didn’t mention being suspicious.”

Cody turned to look at him, and was glad to see the smile on Obi-Wan’s face. This was another test of his. 

“Hondo wouldn’t have asked for your help with a single renegade pirate stealing from under his nose. His problem is bigger than that. Chovo is the leader, he wants the rest of his friends too. If you knew they were going to be here, why didn’t you lock your speeder as well?”

“I had hoped they wouldn’t be dumb enough to steal the speeder that Hondo leant to me, since that would give up their game. But, if they had, I put a tracker on it.” Obi-Wan fiddled with the sparse amount of desert grass in front of him. 

Cody nodded approvingly. A trap, just in case. Cody liked how his General thought. Cody snapped a few more holos through his binoculars. 

“Would you like to wait and see what Hondo has been selling, or do you want to expose these men now?” Obi-Wan looked towards his Commander again, eyes searching. 

Cody thought for a moment. Exposing these men would be very easy, but it would cause whoever else had become a turncoat to become even more secluded. “Let’s wait. See if there’s more than just the two. It looks like they’re keeping a watch on the supplies, maybe there’s a shift rotation.”

“Good man.” The smile Obi-Wan gave him looked like a sunrise, and the feeling of his approving hand on his shoulder lingered far longer than the Jedi’s hand did. 

-

They did not have to wait long. Two standard hours into their stake out, the men under their watch started pacing and stretching, clearly indicating that whoever was supposed to be picking up the next watch was late. Cody looked in the direction from which they had traveled from Hondo’s complex and noticed a small uptick of dust headed their way. He poked at his General’s arm and tilted his head, indicating that they were about to have company. He wished they had taken the time to hide their speeders in a better place, but maybe this would just assure the pirates that their hideout was as safe as they thought it to be, with speeders near them and their hideout still undiscovered. His General made a face, clearly having a similar line of thought to his, and motioned for Cody to move further down from their current scouting location. They kept their heads down as the speeder travelled all the way up to the hideout, screeching to a halt and sending a cloud of dust into the air. Muffled angry voices could be heard down below. 

“Ohnaka’s on to us! He sent his pet Jedi this way and there are two speeders down there, what have you idiots been doing! Sitting here out in the open, you could have been caught!” A gruff voice, one apparently in charge of the operation, spent a good while chewing the other two pirates out. Cody missed most of the conversation but clearly heard the man again as the speeder roared back to life and headed back to Hondo’s base, the two pirates on it. “I’ll do it myself!”

Cody tilted his head towards Obi-Wan and met his gaze. The Jedi made a face over the comments on the speeders. They were either about to be looked for or their rides destroyed. They needed to get into the cavern as soon as possible. Obi-Wan wiggled his fingers to get Cody to focus on his hands. 

_ Wait. You - look there. Me - distraction.  _

Great. He would have to rush in to check the crates while his di’kut jetii made a distraction. He wasn’t happy about the plan but he nodded his affirmation regardless. Obi-Wan smiled and winked at him before heading higher up on their hill, back towards the speeders. Cody let himself watch the man leave for another moment before heading down toward the path, hopefully to just provide cover for the Jedi while he made whatever distraction he had in mind possible. 

Before he even made it down the hill, he heard a loud crash and a curse from the pirate. Loud footfalls told him that the cavern had been left unguarded in favor of investigating the Jedi’s distraction. Cody carefully made his way across, glancing down the path to ensure that the pirate hadn't turned back. 

Past the few crates the other guards had been using as chairs and a table for their game are a few dozen stacked boxes. Cody easily unlocked one to find it filled with spice. Not surprising. He unlocked a few more just in case they were smuggling anything else, only to find more spice. Well, at least they did not have to worry about them hoarding weapons. 

Just as he finished locking the last crate, a crunching noise behind him alerted Cody that he was not alone. A loud  _ swush _ almost made contact with his head, but years of training had Cody rolling out of the way in time. Cody leapt to his feet and found another pirate, someone who must have been hiding further back in the cavern. Osik.

This one was larger than the other guard that Obi-Wan currently had on a wild bantha chase. The pirate cracked the joints in his hands, smirking at the commander, clearly thinking he had the upper hand due to his sheer mass. Cody almost wished that Obi-Wan was here to watch. 

Before the pirate could make a move, Cody charged and slammed his armored shoulder into the man's unprotected gut. He grabbed one of his bulky arms, letting his momentum do the work to fling the man over himself. The pirate landed on his back, his breath escaping his chest with a grunt. Cody kicked him in the head, knocking him out swiftly. 

He glanced around the cavern quickly, checking corners for more guards. Snapped a few more holos, including one of the pirate who would most certainly have a headache when he woke up. Once he was sure the area was clear he ran back out to find his Jedi.

-

Obi-Wan’s plan to lead the pirate down away from the cavern was a success, but he had not accounted for the man taking this opportunity to drag his unlocked speeder and send it zooming down an empty cavern. He winced as it crashed loudly at the bottom. He was never going to hear the end of this from his commander. 

The Jedi made a quick decision to throw enough small rocks into the cave near the one his speeder was currently burning in to make the pirate turn his attention away from the remaining speeder. Luckily, the man was confident enough to draw his weapon and enter the cave. Clearly the pirate thought he could take on a Jedi by himself, with just a blaster. Obi-Wan smiled to himself and shook his head, he needed to get Cody before the man discovered that they weren’t in that cave. 

Obi-Wan felt a familiar tug on his arm and turned to give Cody a brilliant smile, only to find that the man wasn’t even next to him. His commander was at least thirty paces away and jogging quickly toward his position. Obi-Wan’s brow wrinkled in confusion. It had really felt as if Cody’s hand had been on his arm, tugging lightly like he usually did to get his attention when they needed to be silent. Obi-Wan stored the thought away for a moment, pointed toward their remaining speeder and rushed to meet his commander at it. 

“There’s another guard. I knocked him out but he knows I’m here. We need to get moving.” His Commander was breathing heavily, clearly having run the entire distance back to their speeders. He glanced at their remaining speeder and cocked his head at the Jedi. “Let me guess, our other pirate friend has a new ride?”

“Actually it’s at the bottom of the cavern over there,” Obi-Wan pointed, a slight blush rising to his cheeks, where it had been disposed of. His commander shook his head, but mounted the speeder easily and nodded to the space behind him. Obi-Wan schooled a very unruly thought that made its way into his mind before climbing on behind him, placing his hands carefully on Cody’s sides.

“You might want to hold on, I’m going to punch it.” Cody moved one of Obi-Wan’s hands, which pulled him closer and placed his hand so that it rested on his armored stomach. Obi-Wan was very glad that the man could not see his face as he adjusted his hands to lace together on his commander's stomach. Cody wasted no time firing up their speeder and did, in fact, punch it. They both jerked back at the sudden burst of momentum and Obi-Wan instinctively held himself closer to the other man. He pushed several thoughts out of his brain, many of which sounded a lot like his inner voice claiming that he was acting like a padawan. 

-

Their ride back felt twice as long as their ride out to the caverns. Cody could not tell if it was because they had found their quarry and he wanted to get back as fast as possible, or if it was because the firm grip of his general’s arms that made Cody’s brain turn to static. Normally, Cody found the rushing of air past his helmet calming, but he couldn’t even hear it over his pounding heart. He really hoped Obi-Wan couldn’t feel his rapid pulse, and if he could he wished the man would assume it was the adrenaline from their mission. Cody had perfected his stoic appearance years ago, and his Jedi had a knack for knocking down every wall he had built up. 

He had only known the man for a few years and he had already smiled outwardly around him more than he could ever remember. He loved his brothers, but being put on the command track had forced his hand on who he could be affectionate with and how he needed to appear to his brothers. His men. He needed to be their perfect leader. 

When he met Obi-Wan Kenobi, he had assumed that all Jedi would be just as perfect as they had been described to him over the years of his training. He had quickly discovered that it wasn’t exactly true. Skywalker was precisely the exception to that rule, and while Obi-Wan was as well, it was not in the same way. Skywalker was reckless, but cared so fiercely that he made di’kut mistakes which often cost more than they were worth making. 

Kenobi on the other hand, cared for Cody’s brothers deeply, and would make any change needed in a plan to save the lives of the men. He would also  _ go back  _ for them. Cody had never considered someone outside of his brothers possibly doing that. Obi-Wan protected them, and knew that the choices he made could directly affect who would be coming home and who would be marching away. Cody couldn’t put into words how much that meant to him, and he didn’t think he could ever tell his general how he felt about him. Or how he…. felt about him. 

Cody couldn’t feel how Obi-Wan’s hands clenched in their grasp around his waist. He really wished that he could, he also knew that he shouldn't -  _ couldn't - _ think like that. Not about his CO. Not about a man who has sworn his life to the Jedi path. But, in this moment, he memorized the feel of Obi-Wan’s sturdy arms around him. How he occasionally shifted his grip around his waist, even moving his hips to be more comfortable on their extended ride back. Cody tried not to put too much thought into the movements, but he couldn’t help wishing that they were in this position under different circumstances. 

Cody wished their trip was over already so that his heart could take a minute to relax. But parking in front of Ohnaka’s complex would mean that his Jedi wouldn’t have his arms around him anymore. He slowed the speeder down as they got closer, dust moving from shooting out behind them to a small cloud that lingered around their bodies. Cody put the parking gear down and relaxed his shoulders. He may have imagined the reluctance the Jedi had to remove his arms, they were probably just stiff from being in one position for so long. They both got off the speeder and stretched out tight muscles in their legs. 

His generals' hair was full of sand again. The light pink ring around his face of sunburn luckily had not worsened, since Cody had blocked most of its rays with his body. A small pinpoint of pride glowed in his stomach, at least he could protect his general from something. He didn’t realize he had reached up to brush the sand out of his general’s hand until his glove entered his field of vision. Obi-Wan gave him a confused smile. His hand floated there for an awkward moment, Cody still undecided if this was something he was allowed to do, when Ohnako shouted a greeting that pulled both of their eyes away from each other. 

Cody missed most of what happened next. He just followed his General to the briefing like he always did. They were led into Ohnaka’s office where Obi-Wan managed to steer the conversation to have his enthusiastic friend agree to act like the traitors had not been discovered yet, just in case there were more. Ohnaka would handle it from there. His brain seemed to finally check in as his general was commenting that they would return to their ship for the night before heading out in the morning to whatever planet the pirate had mentioned that Chovo may be on. 

“Nonsense, Kenobi! You will stay here! I have plenty of rooms for guests.” Hondo winked lavishly at the Jedi and escorted them to their rooms himself. “Just in case.” Hondo elbowed Obi-Wan cheekily. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

The door opened to reveal what could be considered a small apartment. There was a small kitchenette in the corner that even had a teapot. There wasn’t much of a living room, more of an open area that happened to have a sofa that was right next to the bed. At least they would have their own refresher for the night instead of having to stumble their way through a pirate’s hideout just to relieve themselves. Cody could ignore the slightly musty smell of the room, the product of an overactive humidifier trying its hardest in a sulfuric desert. He was sure it would be worse with his helmet off, but he could deal with anything for just the night. 

It wasn’t too bad of a set up. Cody had just started to think Ohnako wasn’t as frustrating as he seemed when Cody’s categorizing brain finally caught up to his thinking brain. There was a  _ single _ bed in the room, and a sofa that was not nearly wide enough for an adult to sleep on comfortably. Kriff that pirate nerf herder. 

The metal door sliding firmly closed brought Cody back to his surroundings. His General was firmly locking the door, a skeptical look on his face as he ran his hand around its worn latches. His other hand dug around in the pouches of his belt, retrieving a metal chain with two discs on either end. A magnetic lock. The Jedi attached the extra lock to the edge of the door frame and the door itself. 

“I like Hondo and all, but..” he trailed off with a pointed look. “Don’t exactly trust his company.”

“Agreed.” Cody played with the latches on his helmet, he would have to take it off sooner or later. Might as well deal with whatever smells his helmet was protecting him from. His bucket detached with a slight hiss, and fresh air rushed in. Well. He wouldn’t exactly call it fresh. It was about as musty as he expected. Cody must have had a look on his face because his General gave him a knowing look. 

“You’ll get used to it. These sulfur planets never smell good.” He still had sand in his hair. Cody's fingers twitched with an urge to clear it, so he busied them with detecting his armor. He methodically clicked through the attachments, the routine so ingrained that he barely had to think about it. He focused more on his ever rising plan on how to convince his General that he should be the one to take the bed while Cody slept on the sofa. He knew it was going to be an argument, the Jedi was far too polite for his own good. He slowly made a pile of his armor on top of some sort of chest that was intended to hold spare clothing. Cody remembered that any sort of extra clothing remained packed in his ready bag on their ship. So much for that. It wouldn’t be the first time he slept in his undersuit, nor the last. But it wasn’t the best feeling to get out of the refresher and into a sand filled bodysuit that would remind him of every particle of grit that he had encountered that day. 

-

His commander must be exhausted, because if Cody had had an ounce of awareness left in him, he would have realized by now that his general had not moved from where he stood by the door. Cody had just started taking off his armor in front of him. The move was so natural and casual that Obi-Wan knew this was something he did the instant he went into his rooms but for some reason Obi-Wan had forgotten just how tightly fitted those black undersuits were. He racked his brain, trying to remember if he had ever seen his commander out of his uniform and couldn’t find a single instance where he had. His second in command was never out of uniform in front of his General. Obi-Wan knew that the clones were very casual with each other in their rooms, he had walked through the barracks on many occasions and seen his men in varying degrees of kitted up. And yet, his breath had caught in his throat as his commander started taking off his armor in front of him. He told himself off internally for acting like some kind of padawan who had never been in front of another person simply taking off their armor. He couldn’t seem to make his feet move, or have his eyes look away, right up until Cody started unlocking his boots. 

“I’ll just take the fresher first then?” He cleared his throat awkwardly and Cody glanced up at him and gave him a small smile.

“Good idea, you’re still covered in sand.” Cody’s voice was different without his helmet on. It was clearer, but it sounded rougher than Obi-Wan had last heard it. 

He returned his commander's smile before quickly moving into the small refresher and locking the door behind him. A quick glance in the mirror showed him that his hair was full of sand, his face was a light pink from the sun, and he didn’t even want to think about the state of his robes. Obi-Wan huffed out a laugh, he might as well sonic  _ with _ his robes on at this rate. They could use it. He wished he could have the luxury of a real shower, but that would have to wait for when he was back at the Jedi Temple. He shook out as much dust as he could, he lucked out that it wasn’t as fine of a grain as it could have been. His under layers were fairly clean. He half wished they had stayed on the ship, he could have at least changed his clothes there. But, he thought a little selfishly, they wouldn’t be sleeping in the same bed. He shook his head as the sonic finished its cycle around him. He shouldn’t be thinking like that about his commander. Even if the man was  _ extremely _ well built, and had arms thick enough that the Jedi was quite sure he might just lose in a hand to hand fight with him. 

Obi-Wan took a moment before exiting the fresher, clearing his thoughts. He folded his outer robes near where his commander had stacked his armor. He turned to find Cody sitting awkwardly on the sofa as if he had been contemplating spending the night on it. 

-

The look that his Jedi gave him when he spotted him testing the space on the sofa made Cody realize the game was up, the man was on to his plan. He was a bit too tired to argue with him and he may have gotten up more quickly than he intended to over past the other man and into the refresher. Maybe he would fall asleep before he was done and Cody could pretend he didn’t want to disturb him - unlikely but a nice idea. It felt odd, to completely undress knowing his General was just one closed door away from him. He ignored the heat that flushed onto his cheeks and hurried into the sonic cycle. He did try to clean out his blacks, but shaking it and attempting to have the sonic clean it could only do so much. There was far less grit in it when he zipped it back up. Cody took far longer than he usually did making sure that his suit was on him perfectly, every single seam lined up correctly. His stomach filled with anxiety as if he were in those reoccurring dreams where he was about to be brought up for inspection and couldn’t find parts of his armor. He gave himself one last glance in the mirror and nodded, he was as put together as he could be. 

Obi-Wan sat, crossed legged on the ground. His arms relaxed with his palms flat on his knees. His breathing was slow and measured. He was meditating. Cody found him in this position quite often. The Jedi did it regularly, often in between fire fights to clear his mind or focus on the whereabouts of his old padawan. Cody didn’t mind these moments. It was nice to see the other man so relaxed, the lines in his face smoothed out, and the furrowed brow that usually lingered as the general considered dozens of options gone for the moment. 

“Don’t even think about sleep on the sofa, the bed is big enough for the two of us.” Obi-Wan directed this comment at him like a poke in the chest, not even opening his eyes. Cody smiled. Well, getting into the bed was far less awkward while it was still empty. He could worry about how it felt to have his general climb in with him later, the man could meditate for hours at a time. Cody let his eyes close and was tired enough to drift right between sleep and wakefulness. He wasn’t sure how long he laid there, his mind wandering through the day's events and questioning if this would be something he would have to write a report about or if it was technically his generals job to do so. He didn’t even realize the light had turned off and there was another body in bed next to him until he heard the Jedi’s voice close to him.

“Have you ever seen the gardens at the Temple?” 

Cody tried not to jump, taking a breath to relax himself once more. The commander thought for a moment. 

“I may have seen them in passing. But to be honest, sir, I wouldn’t have been looking at them to appreciate them.” The Jedi nodded at his statement, remembering that Cody had only ever been to the Temples grounds on business.

“Perhaps when we get back, I can show you them.” Cody heard him laugh lightly in the dark. “Much nicer than the planets I keep dragging you too.” Cody smiled at the joke, as if the man had any say in the places they were ordered to. 

“That would be nice.” 

They were silent for a while, and Cody was surprised at how comfortable it was. For some reason, he had worked it into his head that this would be an awkward experience, even though he often bunked with his brothers when he needed to. He had only gotten his own quarters when he had been promoted to Marshal Commander, so he had been accustomed to sleeping in a room full of men. He sighed contentedly, this wouldn’t be so bad after all. He wasn’t sure why he had made this such a big deal in his mind, he spent plenty of time alone with his General in his office. Yet, sharing a bed seemed to be a step above what he was used to. Rules, regulation, cut and dry orders he could do. This small and blossoming friendship that he had with his General was for sure not something that had been covered in his training. He had been taught to work well with his general, not become friends with him. Sharing a bed was something friends who were not his brothers did, Cody supposed. He still couldn’t shake the feeling that he was in the wrong for being out of uniform near his commanding officer, let alone sharing a bed with the man. 

“Goodnight, Cody.” He couldn’t quite see his face in the dark, but his voice made him seem much closer than Cody knew him to be on the bed in front of him.

“Goodnight, sir.” There was a beat of silence where Cody could practically feel his general thinking. He heard the man's hand play with the edge of the sheets as he considered his next words.

“You know, you don’t have to be so formal when it’s just the two of us.” 

“Sir?” Cody was very thankful for the dark now, as he was sure all the blood rushing to his face was turning him a very interesting shade. 

“Obi-Wan.” The man said it so simply and while Cody had thought the name over in his head so many times he had never actually called him by anything other than a title.

“Uhm,” Somehow, even with the man's permission, he felt like it was some supreme breach of protocol. Wouldn’t he be punished for being so informal to his commanding officer? If he were back on Kamino he would know this would be a test and the right answer would be  _ not _ to use his name. But here, alone with the man he had worked alongside with for years. This wasn’t a test. Well, perhaps it was a test. But not the kind that Cody would be reconditioned for if he got it wrong.

“You don’t have to if it makes you uncomfortable.” The man in front of him whispered. Cody almost missed the statement, so wrapped up in his own mind. 

His gen- Obi-Wan - reached out and grabbed his hand. He squeezed it lightly and didn’t take it away. 


	3. Certain Half-Deserted Streets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys are sent along to a planet following a trail on Hondo’s advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Tatum for all the help 🥺

Habit woke Cody up at his usual hour, which was unfortunately very early in the cycle no matter where or when he had fallen asleep. He scrunched his eyes closed for a few extra moments, his brain taking its time to remind him where he was and if he actually had to report for duty today. He made to move his hand and run it down his face, but found that it was being held down by something other than the blanket. By his General’s hand. Oh. Right. Cody suppressed his initial reaction to yank it back, it wasn’t as if he was against his Jedi holding his hand. He could just feel his ears go hot at the thought. He did not want Kenobi to wake up and suffer through whatever explanation for his actions that the man would give him. He gently removed his hand from the other man's grasp, his heart made a regretful twinge that he decidedly ignored in favor of removing himself from the bed. 

He took a moment to roll some of the kinks out of his neck and back. Even if this bed was a bit softer than his own bunk, it didn’t change the fact that he drove a speeder for several hours the day before. Cody settled himself on the ground and began his morning workout routine. He tried to keep this a regular part of his day, but he couldn’t prevent every emergency that decided to come up. The light burn in his arms as he moved through several sets of pushups felt good. He had an entire floor exercise he could perform with his eyes closed, making it the best for those early mornings where his internal alarm clock had decided waking up was best for him. It allowed him to work through some of his feelings. He knew what he felt towards Obi-Wan wasn’t  _ just _ friendly. He truly wanted to consider the man his friend. The Jedi had indicated that he considered Cody his friend several times, but Cody had a nagging feeling of guilt deep in his gut that told him what he was feeling was wrong. It was inappropriate for a Commander to have any sort of feelings for his Commanding Officer that were anything more than professional. Not to mention that he was just a clone, as he had been reminded daily growing up. He took a moment to breathe after a set of crunches, annoyed with himself for being unprofessional and having so blatantly ignored his training that he couldn’t squash a small crush. 

“Do you normally start your day like this, or have I been keeping you waiting?” Cody tilted his head back to find Obi-Wan gazing fondly down at him. Cody shrugged where he lay. 

“I do this when I can.” Cody sat up and turned fully toward his General. “I usually wake up early, you didn’t keep me waiting.” Obi-Wan hummed thoughtfully. 

“It’s certainly not helping our supply.” At the confused look on his commander's face, Obi-Wan pointed to a small tear in the shoulder of Cody’s blacks. He chuckled, inspecting the hole with his finger.

“No, they’re not very happy with me. But I started keeping my own kit to repair the small stuff so they aren’t as mad.” Obi-Wan smiled at the idea. 

“I hate to admit it but,” the Jedi glanced away as if he was about to reveal some big secret. “I was never very good at sewing. We were all taught how to fix things, even make our own clothing. Not one of my strong suits.”

“You must be the shame of the Council, unable to sew.” Cody chuckled as Obi-Wan tossed a pillow at his head. “What do the other Jedi do with you?”

“They don’t poke fun at me for it, for one.” Obi-Wan caught the pillow that was passed gently back to him, and glanced at his communicator. “We should get going.” 

—

“Kenobi!” Ohnaka’s volume was far too loud for Cody’s taste at so early in the cycle, and he was glad for his bucket to drown out some of the sound. “And Commander, of course.” The pirate winked obviously and suggestively at Cody, which he decided to ignore.

“Good morning, Hondo. Any new leads?” His General flashed a knowing look at Cody and he was once again grateful for Obi-Wan’s seemingly endless patience for the pirate. Ohnaka shook his head slightly and made a tutting noise.

“Alas! The wily man has taken his ship and gone off planet!” He said this part loud enough for many of his men to over here, before stepping closer and winking to the Jedi. “I put a tracker on it.” Cody smiled widely under his bucket, the pirate may be dramatic but he knew how to play his game. Obi-Wan covered his own smile behind a hand that appeared to smooth his beard thoughtfully. 

“That is unfortunate news.” The Jedi answered in a loud enough tone for the men to hear again.

“It appears that I have wasted your time.” Hondo gestured with his arms so often that Cody wondered if he ever knocked things over in his immediate area, especially in such a cluttered office that he kept. “I must make it up to you! I’ll send you somewhere nice, my treat.” He winked lavishly before holding out a datastick for them to take. Cody wondered for a moment if the man knew how to speak without innuendos. 

“Thank you, Hondo, you didn’t have to.” Obi-Wan bowed slightly to the pirate, a slight smirk on his face that could be taken as friendly if you didn’t know him well. Cody knew that look was trouble and wondered lightly what had warranted it. “We will be on our way. We hope you find your man.”

Cody followed his General closely behind, mostly tuning out the farewells Ohnaka continued to call out to them as they walked further and further away. Mostly comments about ‘not doing anything that he wouldn’t do.’ Cody wasn’t entirely sure what to make of that, not knowing the pirate well enough to even know what the man wouldn’t do. He was happier when they were back on their ship, as he solidly punched in the code to shut the ramp behind him, ready to leave the mess of pirates. Obi-Wan waited for them to fully take off and free themselves from the planet's atmosphere before he turned to look at his Commander. 

“I’m not sure what Hondo is up to, but I sensed a lot of…. mischievous intentions as he handed me that datastick. Care to find out what he has planned for us?” Cody nodded and plugged the datastick into his own pad, opening the file offline first, just in case it was laced with a virus. He skimmed the contents lightly before throwing it up onto the ship's view screen.

“Looks like we’re headed to Naboo.” Cody glanced over to his General, hoping for some sort of reaction as to what Hondo could have possibly thrown in as a surprise for them. Obi-Wan had his arms around himself, one hand stroking his beard. He hummed thoughtfully. 

“Nothing  _ appears _ to be amiss, but knowing Hondo…” his general trailed off for a moment, clearly remembering something that had happened before between them. “We will simply have to wait and see. Since we are still chasing a wanted man, we should change into some disguises. It’ll be easier on Naboo, they have a high amount of tourist traffic through Theed as it is. Two more souls looking lost in the crowd won’t be amiss there.”

——— 

Cody let Obi-Wan take the lead after they had landed in Theed, he found it a lot easier to focus on their surroundings and watch his General’s back as they made their way through the crowded streets than attempting to find whatever place that pirate had booked for them. Cody had a small, nagging sensation that it would lead to trouble. But, if his General trusted Ohnaka’s plan, even if it was not very much, he would follow him. 

Cody had been to Naboo once before, but it had been on GAR business. He never had the chance to actually take in the sights, as he was more worried about his charges' safety as they walked through various diplomatic buildings. 

He knew Obi-Wan had been there several years ago, long before Cody had even been created, when Senator Amidala had been Queen and Obi-Wan and his old Master had assisted Naboo against the Trade Federation. Obi-Wan was not one to talk about his past unless it was relevant, but Cody had thoroughly researched the man before he had taken his position as the Jedi’s right hand man. 

Now that he thought about it, Cody wasn’t sure if his General didn’t like to talk about his past or if Cody had just never given him an excuse to. His General did not offer much information about himself unless asked, and Cody was not one to bring up the painful experiences he knew occurred in the man’s life already. He felt like he had cheated a little, reading up on the man he served under to the point where he knew more about him than probably anyone else, but he had never had a reason to directly ask the Jedi for the information himself. Cody wished he could hide behind his bucket for a while, he could feel his face flushing slightly over the sort of intimacy that he would need with his General in order to ask such personal questions. 

His Jedi had changed into a sort of disguise that Cody had seen him wear before, a simple flowing shirt and trousers in faded earthy colors that fit in well to the styles on Naboo. Cody had packed a few extra changes of clothes, but they all read as very military and he was starting to stick out like a sore thumb. 

He vaguely noticed that Obi-Wan had led them to what appeared to be the local market place, with hundreds of stalls set up within a larger square within Theed. Most of the stalls had a rainbow of clothing options to offer, with a few of the more muted tones that his Jedi favored sprinkled among them. Obi-Wan’s hand extended behind him, accurately finding Cody’s arm and pulling him forward.

“Let’s go blend in.” The wink Obi-Wan gave him made his heart stutter, but Cody quickly schooled the surprised expression off of his face and nodded.

“Of course, sir.” Cody caught the exasperated expression that Obi-Wan flashed at him, knowing that his General had indicated that Cody should not act like he was Cody’s superior officer on this mission. Cody simply smiled at the man and allowed himself to be led in whatever direction Obi-Wan wanted him to go in. 

They walked past several booths of brightly colored fabrics, trinkets, and stalls filled with more fruits than Cody had ever seen in his life. It took all he could to keep his jaw from dropping at the splendor before him. 

He wondered mildly if Obi-Wan was used to this type of display, having traveled so much in his life. Moments like this reminded Cody of his accelerated aging and how he had missed out on so much of what was considered normal to his Jedi. He dutifully shoved those feelings down as Obi-Wan’s hand pulled him close again, all of his focus on the warmth it brought to his arm and cheeks. 

Cody let Obi-Wan pick out anything he wanted, occasionally nodding as the Jedi held up various items of clothing for his approval. It took Cody far too long to realize that his General was picking out things  _ for him. _ He protested at the waste of credits, which his Jedi waved off immediately, pointing out that they were on a mission after all. He would wear whatever Obi-Wan wanted him to, the man had a better sense of what would blend in than he would. After a while Obi-Wan had gathered a few outfits for his Commander, insisting every step of the way that he pay for them, despite the Commander’s protests.

“Well, technically Hondo is paying for them.” His General said with a wink, folding the items neatly into the bag he had hanging from his side. 

“Ah, that’s different then.” Cody eyed the stall they were in front of, taking in all of the trinkets and small jewelry pieces. Something twinkled in the light, what looked like a fragment of a crystal on a braided rope. He had picked it up before he realized it, the rock felt warm in his hand, the light reflecting a rainbow of colors against his hand. Cody suddenly felt like the necklace was his, and he had simply misplaced it. 

He blinked a few times at it, trying to recall if he had ever had a rock such as this, unlikely considering that he had only had his own possessions after he had been assigned to General Kenobi for a year or so. The Kaminoans didn’t allow the clones to have any personal items, claiming that it distracted from their training. Cody had only recently started keeping his own items, mostly as a show to his vod that they were allowed to keep things. Cody had pointedly placed a bright orange cover over his personal datapad, and made an effort to walk the halls of  _ The Negotiator _ with it so that his brothers were reminded that the old rules didn’t apply anymore. He still felt a heavy amount of anxiety whenever his General stopped by his rooms when he had his personal items out, which were only a few office supplies, some of which Obi-Wan had given to him himself. Obi-Wan often smiled at him knowingly when Cody would position himself in front of his desk, blocking the items from view. He never commented on the actions, but let Cody work through it on his own. 

“And whatever my friend has in his hand there.” Obi-Wan’s voice brought Cody back out of his head. He met Obi-Wan’s eyes as he clutched the necklace possessively in his hand, and nodded his thanks. He pocketed the trinket for now, for some reason it felt very personal and he did not want to share it just yet. 

——

Cody had taken a moment to change his clothes within an accommodating vendor’s shop, he was quite sure that the only reason the shopkeeper allowed this was because of Obi-Wan thickly laying on his well known charm. Cody dodged most of his General’s comments, no one was safe when he started that kind of talk. 

Cody opted for a comfortable, dark pair of trousers that fit well. Along with a similar sort of flowy shirt that Obi-Wan had on, just in a darker shade. He took a moment to retrieve the necklace from his pocket, holding it gently in his hands. It felt so precious and fragile. He wasn’t entirely sure why. Putting it over his head and allowing it to rest against his chest felt right, like it was meant to lay there. He tucked it within the soft fabric of the shirt, hiding it for now. A small part of his brain reminded him that an obvious personal possession being shown on his person would sell his cover better, but a stronger instinct insisted that he hide it. 

Cody ran his hands down the new clothing a few more times, needlessly smoothing wrinkles that were barely there. He sighed to himself and made his way out from the shop back to his Jedi. Obi-wan was still chatting with the owner, but had made several purchases from the shop. Cody smiled at the gesture, fond of the knowledge that Obi-Wan went out of his way to support the people that helped him. 

As he approached the two, his Jedi glanced up and locked eyes with Cody. The Commander couldn’t help the heat that quickly appeared on the back of his neck at the slow smile he was greeted with. He glanced away and coughed to cover up his reaction. 

“Ready?” Cody cleared his throat again into his fist.

“After you, my dear.” Obi-Wan bid his thanks to the shopkeeper and followed his Commander out of the building. 

Back into the hustle and bustle of the marketplace, Cody felt that he could focus on blending in and absolutely not on the pleased expression his General kept throwing his way. They made their way down the busy streets, occasionally pointing out interesting items for sale here and there. Cody let the other man take the lead again, enjoying the way Obi-Wan excitedly explained the origins of different items each vendor had, and if they were truly worth their price tag. 

Cody was so wrapped up in the cadence of Obi-Wan’s voice he didn’t realize they had reached a very nice looking building just off the main path until they were right in front of the doors. He blinked several times before following Obi-Wan through the elegant doors. 

Was this the accommodations Ohnaka had gotten for them? Cody had not thought the pirate would actually spend the credits on them, but he was clearly mistaken. Perhaps Obi-Wan was right to follow the pirate’s plan after all. 

His General led them to what appeared to be the receptionist, before either of them could say anything, the Nautolan at the counter grinned broadly.

“Ah, you must be Hondo’s friends! I hear congratulations are in order.” The Nautolan winked and reached under the counter for something, giving Cody and Obi-Wan a moment to share a confused look. The man’s tentacles were decorated with ornate metal bands that clinked together as he flung them over his shoulder and out of the way. He had pulled a large gift basket out from under the counter, complete with a large bottle of what Cody assumed would be alcohol along with a projected sign that read congratulations in large letters, surrounded by images of rings and bells. The immediate flush on Obi-Wan’s face confirmed Cody’s suspicions that the other boot had finally dropped. 

“That’s very kind, thank you. My husband and I appreciate it.” Obi-Wan’s voice did not waiver as he spoke, even though what he said refused to process in Cody’s head. He simply smiled when Obi-Wan smiled back at him, shook hands with the kind receptionist as he was congratulated again and walked away from the desk with his own access key to their room. It wasn’t until they were in the lift flying upwards several floors that his brain finally caught up with what had happened. A quick flush of panic shot through him. What had Obi-Wan said? His  _ husband? _ Cody gave the man a confused look, which was met with a hand signal that clearly indicated that he should wait. Cody nodded and attempted to be patient as the doors to the lift opened slowly, revealing a hallway with only a few rooms on this level. The place was decorated lavishly, with ornate busts of famous people of various species, along with vases filled with actual flowers. 

“It looks like our friend was not kidding when he said he would get us the best.” Obi-Wan spoke as he led a very bewildered Cody to their room. He was not surprised to find that the room only had one large bed, it seemed to be a theme for the pirate to force them to share. Cody waited for the door to firmly shut behind them before looking at his General in confusion.

“What just happened?” Cody spotted a flush of pink high on Obi-Wan’s cheekbones.

“Cody, I’m so sorry, Hondo must have booked us as a married couple. I’d learned to just go with whatever plan he has, but I completely understand if this is uncomfortable for you or inappropriate. I-“

“Obi-Wan,” Cody gripped the man’s shoulder, forcing him to cease his rambling for a moment. “It’s alright, I was just surprised.” Really, Cody was fine with it. More than fine, if he were being honest. Could he request a few more missions like this, actually?

“Oh.” Obi-Wan blinked several times before smiling up at his Commander. “Alright then, it looks like we’re married for… the foreseeable future? A week or two at best, I mean...at the very least.” Cody felt his neck go hot at this information, and became very aware of his hand gripping the other man’s shoulder.

“I suppose so.”


End file.
